


Mission 7043- The Drug Lord

by EvenMadderHatter



Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Drugs, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone loves Minhyuk, Fluffy Ending, How Do I Tag, Hurt Lee Minhyuk, Lee Minhyuk-centric, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Monsta X, Secret Agents Monsta X, Spies & Secret Agents, it's subtle tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 12:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17703905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvenMadderHatter/pseuds/EvenMadderHatter
Summary: Lee Minhyuk's team is sent on a mission to a drug lord's house to retrieve information on the man and things go awry.AKAMinhyuk catches the attention of a very important, very dangerous man and everything that could have gone wrong goes wrongIncludes: My Sunshine Minhyukie (I hurt you again my son I'm sorry ( ᵇᵘᵗ ᵃᵐ ᴵ ᵗʰᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒ? )) Protective Monsta X (Especially Hyungwon, Kihyun, and Jooheon- I love them) and drugs yayyyyy ᵈᵒⁿᵗ ᵈᵒ ᵈʳᵘᵍˢ ᵍᵘʸˢ ˢᵗᵃʸ ᶦⁿ ˢᶜʰᵒᵒˡ





	Mission 7043- The Drug Lord

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! A double update tonight, I must be going insane (I went insane a long time ago guys, don't worry) 
> 
> Fun fact this was an English project that absolutely wrecked me. ⓨⓐⓨ, ⓕⓤⓝ. 
> 
> Anywaaaay, if you liked this fic then check out my other ones- I just posted an NCT Superpowers/Superheroes fic and I have some Seventeen ones. 
> 
> ☆.*･*.♪｡･ﾟ･｡.☆.* (´ー｀*)ﾉ”ｇｏｏｄ ｎｉｇｈｔ♪
> 
> (Unless it's morning/day for you)

MISSION BRIEFING - File 7043  
*CLASSIFIED*   
ON-SITE AGENTS: SON HYUNWOO, LEE HOSEOK, AND LEE MINHYUK   
DO NOT COPY OR REMOVE FROM FILE ROOM 07   
CASE TARGET: KIHONG PARK 

 

KIHONG PARK'S INTRODUCTION TO DRUGS:   
Kihong Park started out as a high school drop-out in order to care for his sick mother. Kihong's father had left their family when Kihong was just a child, and his mother had not fared well with the years that followed his leave. When she fell ill, Kihong had to quit school to get a job in order to pay for her medical bills. This lead him to a job at a boxing club where he first met Natalia Evanovsky. Natalia Evanovsky was a rising star in the drug game and with her connections to the Russian Mafia, she was a formidable player. Kihong allied with her and began dealing drugs for her- simultaneously earning enough money for his mother and gaining new connections in the drug environment of Seoul. He later became acquainted with Jin Chen, one of the leaders of the Chinese Crime Syndicate. It was then that his career as a drug dealer grew. 

 

KIHONG PARK'S RISE IN THE DRUG RINGS OF SEOUL:   
After meeting Jin Chen, the two struck a deal. Jin Chen introduced Kihong Park to Sam Young, his head scientist and chemist. An already influential and powerful Kihong now had a scientist and a large group of distributors on his side. Cutting a deal with Jin Chen, Kihong decided to use Young to create a new drug. A substance more addictive and special than all others before it. It would be based on the addictive properties and chemical base of methamphetamine (meth) and a newly discovered species of nightshade that had been proven to contain amounts of pure parasympathomimetic stimulant and a certain alkaloid. In simpler terms, this plant contained high levels of nicotine- the addictive chemical compound in meth. 

 

WHAT IS METHILIUM?   
The substance methilium is fairly new to the black market- only having been for sale for the past half a year. In that little time, methilium has caused endless problems- mentally, physically, and socially for subjects who have ingested it. The wanted effects of taking methilium are similar to those of taking meth. There is a feeling of euphoria and a rush of adrenaline and energy that may last up to half a day. The feeling of increased confidence or better problem-solving skills may also be apparent in the subject. The effects of short-term use of methilium include the following: unpredictable behaviour, rapid mood swings, muscle weakness, tremors or convulsions, extreme fatigue, low blood pressure, hallucinations, and more. If used long term, the effects include the following: paralyzing anxiety, extreme paranoia, insomnia, heart disease (examples being heart failure, arrhythmia, etc.) and more. The effects are very alike to ones that meth addicts suffer from. The most prominent plus side to this drug, however, is a chilling and unnatural effect. For a limited time, averaging an hour or so after the drug is ingested, the subject will experience a period in which all of their neurons are working at full capacity. This, in simpler terms, increases the subject's intelligence by ten-fold. 

 

THE SCIENCE BEHIND METHILIUM:   
The nightshade species that the drug is created from contains chemicals vital to the creation of cells and neurons. Since cells themselves are made up of elements (mainly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen) they are considered to be chemically made. The plant's chemicals increase the productivity and size of neurons- biological cells in the brain and nervous system. This enables the neurons to make more connections at a faster pace. It could be argued that methilium does not improve the intelligence of a person, but the subjects of this drug experience the ability to access almost all of their brain at one time. The drug affects the 100 billion plus neurons that are scattered all over the brain. The connections that the brain is now able to make increases substantially. This is what leads to the image of increased intelligence. Furthermore, the nightshade plant contains chemicals that are also found in several medications that lower cortisol levels in the brain. Cortisol is the hormone for stress and plays a part in halting the growth of your brain or even shrinking it if there are copious amounts of the hormone. By limiting the levels of this hormone and increasing levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine (which affects attention, focus, and learning) and glutamate (which affects memory and learning) the brain's capabilities are stretched to its limit. Although this seems optimal, it is quite the opposite. The decreased levels of cortisol are what cause some of the unwanted side effects like muscle weakness, fatigue, and low blood pressure. If taken long enough, serious health issues will arise in the patient and would likely lead to death. It is important to note that the bigger the subject's frontal cortex, the more effective the drug is. This is because large cortexes open up the brain's ability to make more connections, and this drug enhances exactly that. 

 

KIHONG PARK’s DRUG LABS AND RING:   
Armed with this new substance, Kihong Park needed a place to mass-produce it to sell to the Russian Mafia and share with the Chinese Crime Syndicate- as part of their deal. The Chinese Crime Syndicate had already helped him create the drug with their scientist, Sam Young, and they were to have no part in paying the expenses needed to build a whole lab for producing the drug. Kihong decided to do the most practical thing- build the lab in his own basement. Kihong, while he was rich off of drug money, bought a manor in a more rural city in Korea- an hour or two away from Seoul. It has been reported that in this manor, he began constructing a lower level. It is highly likely that Kihong's drug lab is in his own home and he is producing and distributing drugs directly from it, but no irrefutable evidence regarding this unconfirmed hypothesis has been found yet. 

 

MISSION PLAN:   
Three agents will attempt to infiltrate a party hosted by Kihong Park. They will each gather information about Kihong Park without the man knowing. Each agent will get their own target that is close to Kihong Park and will become acquainted with them. For mission purposes, the agents will be advised not to talk or interact with each other to eliminate any suspicion that their targets may have. After gathering sufficient evidence on Park, they will excuse themselves and exit the party and return back to the headquarters. 

COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT THE MISSION:   
Every agent will be equipped with agency-distributed earpieces for communication purposes and other apparatuses important for this mission. The rest of their team will be receiving live audio as the night goes on, and will be instructed to hack into security cameras to obtain live footage of the event. Agents will be advised not to speak directly through their comm-sets unless absolutely necessary as it could be distracting or suspicious. The agents will be instructed to talk to their mission commander for further information on the distributed gadgets.

 

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:   
Each agent has been assigned an associate of Kihong Park as follows: 

Hyunwoo Son - Natalia Evanovsky   
Hoseok Shin - Jin Chen   
Minhyuk Lee - Sam Young 

They will each extract information from their respective person. This information should be relative to Kihong Park’s drug dealing businesses- his contacts, his drug lab, and his distribution of methilium. 

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:   
If possible, the agents will place agency-distributed cameras around Park’s manor. These will be placed in inconspicuous places where they will not be easily noticed. If noticed, they will compromise the entire operation, so agents are urged to take the utmost care whilst doing so. Agents will be reminded that this is a secondary objective- which means that the information extraction takes first priority. 

IMPORTANT NOTES:  
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL AGENTS INITIATE CONVERSATION OR INTERACT WITH KIHONG PARK   
Photos of the targets are attached to this file. Each agent will be allowed to view them, but ultimately the file and all of the attachments will be kept in file room 07 at all times.   
This mission is classified as HIGH RISK, and all agents will be reminded of their right to refuse a mission as part of the Agent and Human Rights Agreements. 

 

… 

 

"Minhyuk, do you copy? Over." Changkyun's deep voice sounded out over the comm-set in his ear and Minhyuk made an effort not to startle at the sudden noise. 

Taking a champagne flute from a passing waiter with a small smile, Minhyuk lifted it to his lips to conceal his words as he spoke into it discreetly. 

Taking note of the anxious tone his teammate had, Minhyuk replied thoughtfully. "I'm here, Changkyun. Don't worry, we'll be fine." 

Minhyuk smiled at the little huff he got in return and swirled the alcohol in the glass deftly. He had no intention of drinking it- this was a job after all- but he had a part to play, and he needed to seem convincing. 

The strings quartet across the room had begun to play an elegant song and Minhyuk tried to focus on that instead of the occasional feedback from the earpiece he wore. Looking across the huge ballroom, he spotted Hyunwoo dancing gracefully with a partner, striking up an even conversation with her. She seemed matched in his elegance and dexterity, which was a rare thing, Minhyuk found. Her light blonde hair and slim yet sinewy figure paired with those chilling blue eyes… That must mean she was Natalia Evanovsky, head of the Russian Mafia’s branch in Korea. Hyunwoo locked eyes with him for a moment and gave him a small nod before he and his partner waltzed further around the room. 

Scanning the room once more, Minhyuk saw Hoseok at a table with a man, drink in hand as he avidly chatted with him. Both were grinning widely and seemed to be having a good time- although Minhyuk could tell that Hoseok was purely a tremendous actor. The willowy man he was conversing with was no doubt Jin Chen, one of the leaders of the Chinese Crime Syndicate- one of the main gangs dealing with drugs in South Korea at the moment. 

That left Minhyuk to his own target- Sam Young. Unfortunately at the moment, Young was nowhere to be found. Even the hackers on his team- Kihyun and Jooheon- couldn't figure out where he was. They had managed to get into the cameras of the whole mansion but no dice. 

So Minhyuk was left to awkwardly wait for his target to show. If he ever did, that is. Sam Young was particularly vital to the mission, so Minhyuk hoped he did come. Getting those lips to spill their secrets would push their case forward by leaps. He had already spent his free time walking through the manor, pretending to be looking around. He had actually been planting small cameras around the house- in the corners of picture frames, the edges of plant pots, and more places that were relatively unnoticeable. 

Now in the ballroom, Minhyuk had no excuses to venture around the house once more. Trying to keep his mind from wandering too much, Minhyuk let his eyes flit across the room. When they landed on a familiar face Minhyuk smiled brightly. In this one ballroom alone, there were several mobsters, gangsters, drug dealers or producers, money launderers, and more. The list went on and on. It wasn't a surprise to see other agents from other agencies.

"Hey guys," Minhyuk whispered in the general direction of the mic hidden in the folds of his suit. "Anyone else see what I'm seeing?" 

"If you're talking about literally all of our friends and competition, then yes, we do." Hyungwon's dry voice commented. 

Minhyuk chuckled lowly. He had already spotted spies from other agencies like NCT and SVT blending in perfectly in the party. In the corner of the room was no other than Jungkook Jeon, sipping champagne calmly. Taehyung Kim stood at his side, chattering on. Jungkook looked up suddenly to meet Minhyuk's eyes with his own dark and suspicious ones. The cold look in his eyes quickly melted into warm recognition as he realized who he was looking at. Trust Jungkook to know when he was being watched, Minhyuk thought fondly as he gave a single nod to the two agents.

"I have it on good authority that the other agents aren't here for the same reason as us. They're all tackling their own corrupt criminals. If we don't interfere with their plans, they won't interfere with ours. So no communication between each other, got it?" Minhyuk opened his mouth to speak but Kihyun continued on, "And no, Minhyuk, not even if you're friends and you haven't seen each other in forever." 

Minhyuk pouted. "But Jackson just got here-" 

"Minhyuk." 

Said agent sighed deeply and placed the champagne flute down with more strength than he intended to. "Fine. You're no fun, Ki." Minhyuk could practically see Kihyun rolling his eyes in exasperation and the small smile of amusement on his face. Minhyuk picked up his glass and lifted it to his lips once more but stopped when he saw a waiter approaching him with another glass. “Oh, I appreciate it, but as you can see I already have a glass.” Minhyuk nodded to the waiter, who didn’t seem to back down. 

“Sorry, sir. He insists.” The waiter pressed, trying to give the glass to Minhyuk. 

Minhyuk arched his brow in confusion but held out his hand for the flute. “I’m sorry, who insists?” 

The waiter looked around nervously and handed Minhyuk the glass. “It would not be a good idea to refuse Master Park’s wishes.” Retreating, the man turned back to cordially say, “Thank you, sir,” and MInhyuk swore he heard the man mutter nervously to himself as he walked back into the commotion of the party. 

“Did you guys see that?” Minhyuk inquired, directing the question to the rest of his team listening in on the comms. 

“Yeah, and I don’t like it one bit,” Jooheon remarked, and Minhyuk could imagine the hacker’s pout. 

“Neither do I…” Minhyuk continued to stare down at the glass he had accepted. 

“Minhyuk, do not drink whatever that is.” 

The agent snorted. “Hyungwon, we’re at a drug lord’s house. Of course, I’m not going to drink a random glass of god-knows-what delivered to me from an unknown person.” He paused in thought. “Actually, did you guys hear what the waiter said? I swore he said 'Master Pa-“ 

“Minhyuk watch out!” Within seconds of Hyungwon’s shout, Minhyuk felt a hand placing itself on his shoulder. Whirling around, Minhyuk came face to face with a very familiar face. One he had seen in a grainy photo. One that had been attached to a file that he was very certain told him explicitly not to interact with this particular man. 

“Why so surprised, darling?” Kihong Lee’s sickeningly smooth voice intoned, his hand sliding up to Minhyuk’s neck. “Such a pretty thing like you at my party and you thought I wouldn’t come to greet you?” 

Minhyuk didn’t know what to say, instead choosing to feign bashfulness and look down at his shoes shyly. 

“Oh, how rude of me. You don’t even know my name.” Kihong’s smile was strangely akin to a crocodile’s. Gleaming with menace. Taking his hand off of Minhyuk’s neck for a second, he extended it to Minhyuk. “Kihong Park, the host of this party.”   
Minhyuk could hear Jooheon and Changkyun groan at his words. Minhyuk himself wanted to make a run for it, but that would be suspicious. He had to maintain the act for now. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Park.” 

Kihong chuckled- an oily sound. “Call me Kihong.” 

Minhyuk forced a small smile and shook his head at the words. “That would be unprofessional, Mr. Park.” 

Something unreadable flitted across the man’s face but he was quick to compose himself again. “Would it really be?” Minhyuk struggled to find a reply but was saved when Kihong suddenly changed the subject. “So,” he nodded towards the glass of champagne that he had sent over for Minhyuk. Picking it up, he held it up towards Minhyuk, daring him to deny it. 

Minhyuk pressed his lips together in a forced smile, desperately hoping it looked somewhat convincing. “I do believe I’ve had too much to drink tonight, Mr. Park.” 

Kihong’s smile disappeared in a flash and was replaced by a much more dangerous look. “I don’t believe you’ve told me your name yet, darling.” He placed the champagne flute down with a clink on a nearby table. 

Minhyuk repressed a shudder at the nickname but somehow managed to remain in character. “It’s Jisung Hong, Mr. Park.” 

“Jisung…” Kihong tried out the name on his tongue, seeming satisfied with it- which just made Minhyuk wish he had come up with another name.

“Yes, Mr. Park?” 

Kihong looked down at him. “I thought I told you to call me Kihong.” 

Minhyuk winced. “I think I would have to know you a bit better to call you by your first name, Mr. Park.” 

Kihong placed an arm around Minhyuk’s waist, forcefully drawing him in. Leaning closer until he was right next to Minhyuk’s face, he whispered into his ear. “Oh, you’ll know me better soon, Jisung. Much better.” 

Minhyuk was reminded that his entire team was listening in on the conversation when Hyungwon and Kihyun let out a barrage of insults and Jooheon growled out, “Minhyuk, I swear if he lays a finger on you-“ 

Minhyuk carried on, despite his friends raving on in his ear. “Well, Mr. Park. Maybe you’ll give me a tour of your house? It’s a very beautiful place and I’d like to see more of it.” The least Minhyuk could do in this position was to get some intel on Kihong’s drug lab. “Do you have any upper or lower levels that you’re hiding away?” Kihong’s hand on his waist tightened almost to the point where it was painful and Minhyuk started to squirm in his hold. “Mr. Park?” 

“Oh, I’m sure you know all about the lower levels of my house.” He scanned the ballroom before his eyes landed on Minhyuk’s wide eyes. “Don’t you, Minhyuk?” 

Minhyuk wasn’t sure if he heard correctly, but the uproar from his earpiece confirmed the horrendous fact. Kihong Park knew his name. 

Desperate to play it off and stay in character, Minhyuk blinked confusedly. “What do you mean, Mr. Park? Who’s Minhyuk? I just told you my name is Jisu-“   
“Did you really think I’m that dumb?” The cold words stopped him in his tracks. Kihong eyed the opposite end of the room. “You, the man dancing with Natalia, the man talking with Chen- did you really thought I wouldn’t notice all of you the moment you walked in here?” 

Minhyuk swallowed the growing lump in his throat. “Notice us?” 

Kihong grabbed Minhyuk’s tie and pulled him forward. “I’m getting real tired of your games, real fast.” He pushed Minhyuk back roughly and ripped his hidden earpiece out of his ear, effectively silencing the panicking voices of Minhyuk’s teammates. Minhyuk reached for the comm-set but was too slow. Kihong dropped it into the abandoned flute of champagne and it sunk to the bottom, spewing out bubbles as it descended. 

He grabbed Minhyuk’s wrists in one hand and dragged him behind him as he headed for the front doors. “You’re coming with me.” 

Quickly looking across the floor, Minhyuk spotted Hyunwoo and Hoseok trying to make their way towards him, but both were quickly stopped by Natalia and Jin. Both criminals brandished guns, sending some guests into a frenzy. Panicked people rushed out of the room, leaving only Kihong’s goons and the spies. Minhyuk caught Jungkook’s eyes but nodded slightly towards the exit, urging him to leave. Jungkook seemed to struggle with the decision but left quickly when Taehyung tugged at his arm urgently. Both spies- amongst others- sent him apologetic and ashamed looks but Minhyuk didn’t blame them for leaving. It was the smart thing to do, and more importantly, it was protocol. Agents from different agencies were usually not allowed to interact with each other (A rule that Minhyuk and his team had no problem breaking sometimes, but in this situation, Minhyuk knew it was a rule they had to follow) 

“Stop right there,” Kihong demanded at Hyunwoo and Hoseok. “Don’t move, or Minhyuk here gets it.” Minhyuk looked up to see the man holding a pistol. It looked like an old model, most likely a family heirloom, but it looked to be in good shape and fully functional. Hyunwoo and Hoseok froze as they saw the gun now pressed up against Minhyuk’s temple. “You spies are good, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t matter how talented you are. No one is faster than a bullet.” 

Minhyuk met his teammates’ eyes. Hyunwoo looked unfazed, but from years of knowing him, Minhyuk could tell how panicked he was by the small crease between his brows and the dark look in his eyes. Hoseok, however, was as calm as ever. He met Minhyuk’s eyes and they travelled down to his arm purposefully. Glancing there discreetly, Minhyuk saw his watch. That was it- his watch!

Kihyun had placed a small, thin, disk-shaped tracker on the underside of the watch’s main part prior to the mission. If Minhyuk could detach it from his watch and hide it somewhere on him where it wouldn’t be discovered, maybe the rest of the team would have a chance of finding him if Kihong took him hostage. He met Hoseok’s eyes once more, trying to convey his needs with that single gaze. 

Hoseok smirked slightly, and Minhyuk knew that he understood perfectly.

“I call bluff!” Hoseok yelled. The loud noise echoed lightly around the open room. “There’s no way you’d shoot him- you obviously need him for something, whether it be as a hostage or something else.” 

While Hoseok was causing the din, Minhyuk had carefully slid both his hands behind his back and was working at taking off his watch to access the tracker. With a glance at Hyunwoo, Minhyuk knew he had caught onto what Hoseok was doing. 

“Yeah, but you’d be dumb to take him! You don’t need him for anything! He doesn’t do much at all, just gets in the way with his chattering. You’ll go deaf if you take him!” Okay, ouch, Hyunwoo. Minhyuk didn’t think he talked that much. He realized he was getting distracted and set back to work taking the watch off as his teammates continued to distract the enemy. Managing to get it off, Minhyuk nearly cheered. 

Kihong’s voice instantly wiped away that joy. “You think I won’t shoot him?” He pressed the gun against Minhyuk’s head harder. “It doesn’t matter if he’s dead- I’ll just take one of you. I didn’t choose him because of anything he’s done.” Out of nowhere, Kihong pushed him to the ground roughly. Minhyuk barely managed to hold onto his watch as he stumbled to the ground. 

Kihong’s eyes were pure ice as he remarked coldly, “The most attractive thing about you was the elegance of your lies.” He scoffed at the boy lying in front of him. “You think someone of my status would ever be interested in such a plain thing like you? Don’t kid yourself. You’re worth absolutely nothing to me.” 

Minhyuk didn’t dare to meet his eyes. He knew that Hyunwoo and Hoseok would be seething at Kihong’s words. Sure enough, Hyunwoo took a step forward- only to be met with the barrels of several firearms. 

“Stand down, and maybe I won’t blow your friend’s head into little pieces.” 

Minhyuk met Hyunwoo’s eyes and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring look. Still working with his watch, Minhyuk managed to tear away the tracker from the back of the watch’s face. He quickly slid it into the gap between his belt buckle and belt. The tracker seemed to fit snugly in the space, and Minhyuk hoped that it wouldn't fall out. Putting it in his pocket would be too obvious. If they searched him they'd definitely check his pockets first. 

“Get up.” The harsh command startled Minhyuk. Kihong brandished the gun wildly at him. Minhyuk got up quickly, pocketing his now tracker-less watch. “Move,” Kihong growled, pointing at the door with his weapon before aiming it back towards him. “You’re coming with me." He glanced back at Hoseok and Hyunwoo and smirked. "If you come after him, you'll find nothing but a body bag waiting for you."

Minhyuk turned to look at his teammates once more before he was shoved harshly out the door. 

 

… 

 

Minhyuk was seated in a vehicle, pressed against two bulky guards. Both had firearms in the hand the furthest away from him. One guard had a heavy hand on Minhyuk’s knee- both a warning and a precaution. The car ride was silent. 

“The remaining guests will be held there for a while. It'll give us time to get to the meeting point.” 

Minhyuk looked up at the guard that had spoken. “Meeting point?” 

The man looked down at Minhyuk with a malicious grin. “Oh, don’t worry. With your looks, I’m sure you’ll sell quickly.” 

The other guard laughed quietly, a rough sound. ”And for quite the price.” 

Minhyuk stayed quiet, trying to think of ways out of this mess. Even if Hyunwoo and Hoseok were being held back at the party, they’d find a way out. Police was likely watching the event because of the many speculations around Kihong Park’s integrity and there was no way Hyunwoo and Hoseok would be held at the party for long. Even if the likes of Natalia and Jin captured them, the rest of Minhyuk’s team would swiftly retrieve their friends, he was sure of it. Now that just left one question. When were they going to come for Minhyuk? Would they handle getting Hyunwoo and Hoseok out of the situation first and use the hour or so it would take? 

The rest of the car ride was uneventful. The guards got some texts here and there from the other guards that Minhyuk assumed were still at the party. It appeared that all the guests had left, and Minhyuk hoped that meant Hyunwoo and Hoseok managed to get away as well. 

The car slowed to a stop and the men dragged him out, gripping his now cuffed hands in a painfully strong hold. Minhyuk surveyed his surroundings, making sure to take in everything he could. Kihong stood in front of the car with one of his guards while the other watched Minhyuk carefully. 

They stood in a deserted area with only a couple, crumbling buildings. Some lampposts flickered dimly in the dark of the night, illuminating the facilities. They looked like old factories- dusty and abandoned. Minhyuk hoped that there was a signal out there in the neglected place. Otherwise, Minhyuk’s tracker wouldn’t work. 

One of the guards removed his handcuffs with little warning, tugged his blazer off roughly. Despite the sudden movement, Minhyuk managed to see the glint of a little piece of metal as it dislodged itself from his belt, and with a panicked noise, he reached for it desperately. 

The tracker hit the ground with a metal clink and continued to ring out sharp noises as it bounced against the concrete. 

Everything froze for a second. Kihong picked the glinting disk up carefully to examine it. Then, everything went to hell. 

“You idiots!” Kihong yelled, facing the guards with murderous eyes. “You didn't think to search him?” The guards shrunk back, clearly afraid of saying something wrong. Kihong threw the tracker down and slammed his expensive looking shoe on it, cracking the fragile metal and crushing the inner wiring. There was no way that it would still work, Minhyuk had thought with despair. He stepped back, only for the guards to grab onto his arms quickly. 

“You,” Kihong’s voice was bloodthirsty. Turning to his guards, he growled, “Rough him up. Not too much though, and not in the face. I still want my money.” With that, he turned to leave- presumably back to the car. 

The guards nodded at each other before closing in on Minhyuk. Now without handcuffs, Minhyuk didn't hesitate to attack the first guard, swinging his fist into the flesh of his opponent’s gut. He landed a solid hit that sent the guard reeling back, but was too slow for the second one, who violently shoved him towards the ground. The only thing Minhyuk could do was curl in on himself to protect his ribs as much as he could. He’d gotten too many broken ribs in his line of work to know how restricting they could be. As the guards kicked him, Minhyuk noted that they tried to avoid his face as much as possible, per their boss’s orders. Using that to his advantage, he continued to cover his ribs with his head. Most of their kicks landed on his back and legs, but one nasty one hit his forehead. A ringing exploded in his ears and he felt something warm and wet trickle down the side of his face. Minhyuk was suddenly aware of the beat of his heart pounding through his head, making his temples throb painfully. 

At some point in time, the kicks had stopped coming but it didn’t clearly register in Minhyuk’s mind until the guards hoisted him up, pushing him forward towards the car. With the unexpected movement came a rush of nausea and vertigo. 

“Who hit him on the head?” Came the aggravated words. Minhyuk felt the need to throw up. All he could feel was the throbbing of his temples and the thudding of his heart. “I said, who hit him on the head!” The roar brought a surge of pain through Minhyuk’s head and he winced. That was definitely Kihong's voice, he noted through the pain. 

Both of the guards muttered hushed words and seemed to fiddle with their excuses, which just appeared to make Kihong madder. 

There was more yelling and then Minhyuk got shoved back into the car, and they began moving again. Before he knew it, Minhyuk was taken out of the car and manhandled into a cell-like room. He tried not to fall asleep- he was afraid he might never wake up if he did- but the temptation to close his eyes and forget reality for a second was almost too much to bear. 

Minhyuk wished he could inspect the wound on his head with his hands or perhaps delay the bleeding, but he was still handcuffed, so the most he could do was rest his head on his knees. 

Kihong entered the room with two different guards. Minhyuk looked up through dark hair matted with dried blood and muttered hoarsely, “What do you want, Park?” 

Kihong snorted. “No, ‘Mr’ anymore? Have I been downgraded, Minhyuk?” Minhyuk hated the way he said his name. 

“Where’s Dumb and Dumber? You replace them for Even Dumber and Dumbest?” He nodded towards the two men standing behind Kihong. Both of them scowled at Minhyuk and he noticed their fingers grip their guns tighter. 

Kihong hummed as if in thought. “Ah, you mean Yi and Kim? Those two fools made too many mistakes. You won’t be seeing them any time soon.” He paused, examining one of the rings on his fingers. “If you did I doubt you’d recognize them.” 

Minhyuk didn’t want to know what that meant, even if he had some pretty disturbing ideas as to what he was talking about. Deciding to change the topic and stall long enough for his team to get to him- he was hoping that they were on their way- Minhyuk addressed Kihong, “So, Park. I am curious about one thing.” 

Kihong looked up, interested in his words. “Yes?” 

Minhyuk cocked his head to one side and looked up at the man with curiosity. “How’d you know who my teammates and I were?” 

Kihong’s inquiring look morphed into a triumphant smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” 

Minhyuk rolled his eyes, “Kind of why I asked, idiot.” Wrong thing to say, apparently.

Kihong glared daggers at him and sauntered forward, grabbing him by the collar of his bloodstained shirt. “I,” He began, gripping the fabric tighter as he jerked Minhyuk forward. “Am not,” He leaned in closer. “An idiot!” He yelled, practically throwing Minhyuk back. He hit the wall and curled in on himself, nursing his sore ribs. 

“Okay, geez, sorry, I understand. My bad.” Minhyuk mumbled, wishing once more that his hands were free so he could brush his hair out of his eyes. 

“Oh, you don't understand me, Minhyuk.” Kihong pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes and stumbled back into his guards. One of them caught him by the shoulder with a questioning “Sir?” 

Minhyuk’s eyes narrowed as he took in Kihong’s state. Sweaty, flushed, and mad. Was he… shaking? The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills. Opening it, he took two and swallowed them straight. Minhyuk caught the words typed onto the label. One, in particular, stood out. 

Flecainide… 

Minhyuk recognized that name. Flecainide, or Tambocor, is a medication for arrhythmia, a heart problem where your heart rate or rhythm is unnatural- This could mean that it is too fast, too slow, or has an irregular pattern. Where had he heard that term before? Arrhythmia… 

With another look at Kihong’s shaking form, Minhyuk realized where he had seen it before. In the mission file, it had mentioned some of the physical and mental effects of taking methilium, and one of them had been heart diseases, like arrhythmia. That meant…

“So, you’ve figured it out, huh?” Kihong said, pushing the guards away from himself. Minhyuk opened his mouth to ask what he was talking about but Kihong shook his head. “Don’t try to lie. I can see it in your eyes. You know.” 

Minhyuk swallowed his words, choosing instead to tread a little more carefully. “You… You’re taking…“ 

Kihong nodded and pulled out another bottle of pills. They were a light purplish-blue and were imprinted with small letters. Minhyuk could make out an M and a possible H? Or was that an N? 

“I take methilium, you’re correct.” 

Minhyuk gawked at the trembling man. “So that’s how you figured out who I was. You were enhanced by the drug.” 

 

Kihong nodded shakily. "Indeed. It wasn't hard to connect all the dots after seeing the way you continuously seemed to talk to yourself and how you looked over at your friends during my party." He carried on, gesturing at his shaking form. “As you can probably see, the side-effects take quite the toll on me.” He capped the pills and put them away. “I’m 38 years old.” He laughed harshly, but it didn’t sound like a humorous laugh to Minhyuk. It sounded betrayed, almost. “You would think I was 60 with all these side-effects.” 

“So then why do you keep taking it?” Minhyuk asked, frowning at the man. “Why take it If it’s destroying you?” 

Kihong turned to leave and was halfway out the door before he turned back with a cynical smile. Minhyuk felt his blood run cold at the sight of the sudden grin. Kihong's attitude seemed to change in a second. “Just in case you wanted to know, you’re selling for quite the price currently. It almost seems like too much.” He laughed. “I expect it to double or triple by the end of the week.” 

With that, he left. 

 

… 

 

Minhyuk sat down heavily. He’d been walking around the small cell room for a while, trying to stay awake, but he could tell the guards were starting to get annoyed with him, and he was beginning to feel nauseous again, so he sat down against one of the cold, concrete walls. The two men stood guard at the cell door. The guards seem to change their positions every hour or so. Minhyuk kept trying to count the seconds between each guard rotation but lost count too many times. 

The guards switched positions with another pair again and Minhyuk begins counting once more. He managed to get to 1637 seconds but nodded off halfway through the next count. When he woke up he had no idea how long had passed and had to start all over again. 

It’d been maybe an hour or two, Minhyuk felt, when the next rotation happened. Two guards entered the room, one of them with a baseball cap on. Minhyuk recognized the team as one he hates. The one with the cap on kept his head down, and Minhyuk squinted to try and see his face, but it was too hidden by shadows to make out. The guard looked around quickly and seemed to observe the other guard before adjusting his position to fit the one that his partner had. 

Strange, Minhyuk thought. Maybe he’s a newly appointed henchman. 

Maybe… 

“Hey, my head hurts. Can I get some aspirin?” Minhyuk croaked out in a hoarse but determined voice. 

Both guards looked up at the sudden words and in the dim light, Minhyuk can make out both of their faces. Next to the guard on the left was a familiar face. Hyungwon. The guard on the right was Hyungwon. 

His team was here to save him. Trying not to bust Hyungwon’s cover, Minhyuk kept on going. Addressing the guard on the left, he continued. “Hey, are you listening? Guys this is basically a drug house, right? I know you must have some aspirin somewhere. I’ve got a concussion, man. The least you could do is get me some water.” 

A flicker of understanding shone in Hyungwon’s eyes and Minhyuk knew at least his friend understood how injured he is. 

“Shut u-” Before the guard finished speaking, Hyungwon stepped forward with the speed of lightning and slammed a hand into the back of his neck. The guard crumpled and Hyungwon moved towards Minhyuk quickly, holding him out at arm's length to assess his injuries. 

“Well hello to you too, Hyungwon.” Minhyuk joked feebly, his words slurred a bit. 

Hyungwon sighed in exasperation but still gave his friend a small smile. It was soon taken over by worry, though, as he saw the blood on Minhyuk’s face. “Are you okay?” 

Minhyuk winced as Hyungwon touched the wound carefully but brushed his pain off. “It’s mostly superficial, I swear. It doesn’t even hurt!” At Hyungwon’s responding look, he muttered, “Not that much at least.” 

“Well, if you say so,” Hyungwon remarked sarcastically as he reached into his pocket for something. It was an earpiece. He put it carefully in Minhyuk’s ear and pressed the small button on the side of it. 

“Okay, team. Minhyuk is secure and receiving.” 

“Minhyuk! Oh, we were so worried!” Jooheon’s frantic voice exploded in his earpiece and Minhyuk groaned a little as his head spiked with pain. 

“Alright, alright Jooheon. He’s fine, so calm down, okay?” Hyungwon patted Minhyuk on the shoulder with an apologetic grin. 

“As if you weren’t worried yourself, Hyungwon.” Jooheon snorted and Minhyuk repressed a laugh. 

Hyungwon huffed and grabbed Minhyuk’s arm, leading him out of the cell carefully. 

“So how’d you guys even find me?” Minhyuk asked as they crept through the halls, making sure not to make too much noise. 

Hyungwon explained to him that after they had rescued Hyunwoo and Hoseok from the party, the two had told the team about the tracker, which Jooheon and Kihyun had used to track Minhyuk's location. The tracker had led them to an abandoned factory lot. It was the last place where the tracker was active, so they had assumed that Minhyuk had been found out. Kihyun hacked into the traffic cams around the area and the team managed to string together some footage from multiple cameras that showed where Minhyuk had been taken. From there, Hyungwon went in undercover as a guard and, well Minhyuk knew what happened next. 

Hyungwon led him outside to a van and they quickly got in. Inside, Minhyuk was instantly tackled by a worried Changkyun and coddled by a motherly Kihyun. After countless reassurances that he was fine and that Kihong didn’t do anything to him (except for the possible concussion and bruises from being beaten up by the guards), they backed down. 

Hyunwoo treated the cut on his forehead but after doing some quick eyesight and response tests told him that he did indeed have a concussion and he would have to take it a little easy for the next week. 

Seeing that he was disappointed by the fact, Hoseok and Hyungwon tried to cheer him up from the driver's seat. Jooheon bandaged his head after Hyunwoo cleaned the cut and Changkyun sat next to him, running his fingers carefully through Minhyuk’s hair. 

FIghting to keep his eyes open, Minhyuk repeatedly blinked his eyes and kept talking, but stopped himself when Kihyun told him to go to sleep. With Changkyun’s fingers carding through his hair and Jooheon’s reassuring hands on his, Minhyuk closed his eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep. 

 

… 

 

When he woke up Minhyuk was greeted with a horrible headache. He recognized the medicinal smell of the room and the off-white walls as the med-bays and internally groaned. He hated this place. 

“You feeling okay?” Hyunwoo and Kihyun were sitting by his bed with worried looks on their faces. 

Minhyuk grinned. “Not really. My head feels like an elephant stepped on it.” Kihyun looked sympathetic as he went to go get some aspirin for him. 

When Kihyun returned without aspirin and with four more people, Minhyuk realized that they were better medicine than any pill could be. "Sorry, these monsters distracted me from the medicine. I can still get it for you if you want?" Minhyuk waved off Kihyun's question with a smile. Within a couple minutes, all of his team were gathered around him in the room. Jooheon was sitting near the foot of the bed with Hyungwon, Hoseok and Hyunwoo were sitting down in chairs next to the bed and Kihyun and Changkyun were lying on the bed next to Minhyuk. It was a bit cramped and Changkyun and Hoseok were being quite loud, but Minhyuk found that he didn't really care. 

Despite everything that had happened and what he had gone through, Minhyuk could remember very few occurrences where he was as happy and content as he was at the moment. 

Minhyuk didn't realize that his headache had disappeared. 

 

... 

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> ┗( ˙◁˙ )┓三三 ⓑ ⓨ ⓔ


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